Stolen Goods
by Singing Muse
Summary: Shinra is at wit-ends when a thief deemed 'Thunderstorm' begins to rob them blind and send in their most elite SOLDIERS to handle him. But when Sephiroth enters the scene, will it be just what Thunderstorm wanted? Maybe an oneshot? Sephiroth/Cloud


**I think an alternate title for this fic is 'Please-don't-beat-me-for-not-updating-all-summer'. Yeah…I've been busy. So in return for my non-updating, I give you a 'make-up sex' sort-of fic to my subscribers! AREN'T YOU LUCKY? I swear I'm working on **_**Rocking to You**_** but this idea has been gearing in my head for so many months now that it had to be done. I made Cloud an arrogant thief! I guess there go all the 'Uke' Cloud fangirls I have! XD Also, I swear I don't hate Angeal, Zack, or Genesis; they are just too easy.**

**Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud, a hint at Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth/Zack, and a failed attempt at Genesis/Cloud**

**Rate: T; for sexual terms, crude humor, and cursing.**

_**Warning: **_**BoyxBoy loving and kissing and maybe a little bit of Cloud OOC (by Uke standards anyway)**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7…otherwise there would have many, many more sexy moments that probably would have sported naked men.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Stolen Goods**

He was good. He was really, really good.

And that's what pissed Shrina off the most. Especially Lazard, who had been given the case three months before and was currently having a panic attack over it.

Of course, this case had been going on much longer then three months, but Turk Leader Tseng had gotten fed up with his lackeys coming back both blinded and painted chocobo yellow or partly naked with their weapons glued to one of their limbs. So, he decided that SOLDIER and its Director could take care of it and he could move on.

But Lazard couldn't handle it, and he couldn't figure out the solution for his problem! He was seriously at wit's end and it was all because of that blasted thief!

The focus of the investigation was on an annoying but extremely skilled bandit who went by the name of 'Thunderstorm', due to his infamous calling card of a gray storm cloud and a thunder bolt falling from it.

There weren't a lot of facts to go by on him besides a few listed in his very small file. He was a young man, between the ages of seventeen and twenty, at an average male's height and weight with a lean but considerably feminine build which made him flexible. When he appeared, usually at the dead of night, he wore nothing but black, his upper face covered by a thin tied back mask. The only notable thing that stood out about him was that he had spiky golden blond hair. One would then think that in a crowd it would be easy to track and find him—after all, the spikes were gravity defying. Unfortunately for Lazard, that hunch had been unfounded because Thunderstorm seemed to disappear with the moon, only to reappear once more when his next crime sight was appointed.

From past crimes, it could be seen he had a vast knowledge of military strategies, for he was known to be a master at espionage, stealth, and weaponry, six types of martial arts, computer hacking, and disguise. Under farther noting, Thunderstorm has proven to be an extremely cocky man, going to great lengths to humiliate his pursuers before he left with his case of stolen goods. Even Lazard had been caught up in one of traps that had him locked up in President Shinra's personal banking vault—empty, obviously—for a full night.

He swore, if the kid wasn't wanted for wiping clean almost every single bank, jewelry store, museum, and anyone else with notable amount of cash, then he would be jumping through hoops to get him into SOLDIER. But right now, all the Director could do was slam down Thunderstorm's file and glare viciously at it as if it was a real person.

Lazard slumped down into his chair with an exhausted sigh, "Dear, sweet Shiva, help me…" he rubbed the side of his temples, trying to hold back his impending headache. This whole thing was more aggravating then the Wutai Rebellion that lasted two long years. SOLDIERS and cadets alike were getting their asses kicked by this boy and what was worse, every time they failed at getting Thunderstorm, his pay was cut! It was time to bring out the big guns.

It was time for Shinra's Big Four to enter the stage.

**:::**

Paper money and coins jingled and crunched loosely together in a large suitcase at his side. The broken lights flickered above his head; a few giving out a dangerous spark or two, but nothing like that could scare this little blond away. Nope, nope; not when he had already faced a bunch of military men and their highly explosives weapons, but he showed them. Yup, those guns would never fire bullets again with the way he twisted them up.

There was a smug little grin on his face as he took a lick of his bubble gum flavored lollipop. "MmHm~ that's the taste of a good night's job well done!" The boy cheered, kicking his heels together while he walked down the dirty rat-infested hallway. You'd think with the entire city on his tail for robbery, 'Thunderstorm' would learn to be a bit quieter, but he was well aware that they were too far under the plates for anyone to hear him. And that's why he was allowed to slam the door open with his hip.

"Tifa~! Here's the money! All counted and sorted through just like you want!"

The room was dark, expect for the brightly flashing computer behind the brunette. The young woman was rapidly clicking through files, typing in codes when the blond called her attention towards him. Halting in her work, she turned her head around, slipping off her glasses and smiling at him. "Why, thank you; sir Cloud. You're work is much appreciated." She teased, placing her spectacles down next to the mouse. Her eyes moved to the black case as he set it down, "So, how much?"

Cloud grinned from ear to ear, slipping off his mask to reveal shining blue eyes, "$23,433,961.99…and that's without the golden cat statue I stole from the old man's desk!" He kicked the case over to her, the lid falling open to show off the neatly packed bills and coins. The brunette laughed, using her foot to close the lid once she was done counting, "Your mother must be crying in agony right now. Her son, the thief!"

"Ha! More like laughing hysterically and giving the finger to Ifrit! Your mother is probably the one screaming!" Why would his mother be glad that Cloud, only eighteen years of age, was a full time thief and loving second of it? Well, that was because, back the day, Ms. Lily Strife was known as the 'Raining Thief'. A well known young bandit who was most noted for her ability to fall seemingly out of nowhere and take what she wanted. Years after her supposed 'retirement', Lily had drilled into her little boy's head the way of the trade and was now resting peaceful back in their home town without a care in the world. "Ms. Badass would probably kill me if I didn't hold up the family profession!" Cloud nodded to himself, sucking hard on his lollipop.

"Well, you certainly did well once again. Were the SOLDIERS any trouble?" The brunette asked, throwing the case with the rest of the stolen treasures in their procession; their hideout could feed and clothe an entire third world country. The blond smirked, sitting down in the desk chair, much to Tifa's disapproval, "Define trouble."

With surprising strength for her size, she pushed him out of the chair, "As in, slowed you down." Then she sat back down, smiling down at him. Cloud returned the glaze with a pout, "Like hell they could. I locked them all on the roof with a bunch of busted weapons…" Damn, now his ass hurt. Thanks Tifa, thanks a bundle.

"Anyway, what are you looking at over there, Ms. Hacker?" He mentioned towards the monitor as he rose. Being a thief wasn't easy, obviously, so it was nice to know he had a little help in the world of technology. Tifa always mapped out the building and found out who was going to be there, where they would be, and at what time. She was a freaking genius, he swore up and down, and had a pretty good punch too, which made protecting their loot easier when he was out.

"Oh, this? It's a look at—"

There was a soft knock on the door behind them, followed by a, "Heeeeeeelllllllllooooooooooo?"

Cloud spun around at the gentle voice, skipping over to the entrance and creaking it open a bit, "What's the password~" He asked, amused as he could be. The person on the other side giggled, their fingers wiggling between the frame playfully, "There is none; you're asking a trick question, Cloud!"

He opened the door to its fullest, "Congrats; you've passed the test." In came a pretty young girl with a basket in her hand, her honey brown locks tied back in a nice long braid. Her heels clicked silently against the floor as she moved farther into the small room, "I hear you got away with another one. Did you get your fill?" She asked sweetly, patting the boy on his head.

Cloud nodded, "Yup, yup! For tonight anyway." He wandered to the money, grabbing a bag full. Then he walked back over to her, taking a hold of the girl's pale hands and placing the bag within them. "Here you go, Aerith. This should last you a long time!"

The brunette squealed at the heavy amount, shaking her head from to side. "N-no! I can't, I haven't done anything—" But Cloud wouldn't hear it, as he had placed a hand over her mouth, "Nah uh! You need this more than anyone else right now!" He poked her nose, making her stumble back for a moment, "I don't want you selling flowers on the street! Especially at night, ya hear?"

Aerith was ready to protest against it, but quickly shut her mouth and nodded. If she tried to fight it, Tifa would just jump in and then she'd never get anywhere. So, instead she just moved over to Tifa, hooking her arms around the young woman's shoulders, "Hi Tifa~! What're ya doooiingg?"

The brunette smiled, once again stopping with her typing to peer up at her, "Just looking up some files. Like I was gonna tell Cloud before, Shrina's planning something BIG against him this time. Something really, really big!"

The thief snorted in the background, his hand in one pocket and the other holding his lollipop up to lick. "You said that a week ago…" Tifa had a habit of thinking things were bigger than they really were.

But this time she was right. "I think you'd better look at Cloud…This time they're setting up the Big Four." She pointed at the screen with a list of names on them. Aerith blinked, scanning the monitor before she herself nodded, "Ohhh, I've heard of them. I've heard that they've never met a man they haven't been able to catch!"

"Oh, really?"

Cloud was not pleased with this information. No one would ever be able to catch him as long as he was known as 'Thunderstorm'! Sticking the lollipop in his mouth, he shooed the girls away and crouched down in front of the computer to take a look. "Let's see now…" The blond clicked down on a file that read 'Profiles', switching to a new page with a list of four men, pictures and bios attached.

Zack Fair

Genesis Rhapsodos

Angeal Hewley

And…

Cloud's eyes widen at the last person's name, his body flying up and leaning over to take a closer a look. This guy…This guy was absolutely…

"What the hell is it?" Tifa demanded; eyes wide at his sudden freak out. Aerith huffed a bit behind her, her breathe stolen from the startle. Cloud put his hand up for silence, taking in the man's looks before breaking into a wide grin.

"General Sephiroth…" He popped his lollipop out with a thoughtful look, "I think I just found who I'm gonna send my next calling card too…"

**:::**

"Lazard…You can't be serious…"

General Sephiroth wasn't very happy, as anyone could tell. Granted, he wasn't very happy on a daily bases, but right now he was more so then usual. He looked at the familiar file in hand; hissing when Genesis popped his head over his shoulder to look. He slapped the Commander away, smirking when he got a yelp in response.

The Director twitched his eye at him, his fingers tapping rapidly at the table. From the moment the four had arrived, his stress level had sky rocketed from that of his normal level, which was pretty damn high. "Look, I know it's not the usual work but—"

"'Not usual work'? Lazard, this is a case for a cadet!" Genesis remarked, chewing the inside of his cheek, "I'll have you know that I, for one, am insulted—I-N-S-U-L-T-E-D—that you would judge our skills so poorly!" The Commander crossed his arms and pouted, as if he were a child, among the four SOLDIERS.

Angeal rolled his eyes, "I believe what Genesis is saying is that it's…weak work for us?"

"No! What I meant was 'not-good-enough'!"

He was going to explode. Director Lazard Deusericus was going to explode in a burst of madness if someone didn't say something intelligent in the next few seconds. You would think it was physically unlikely with a human if there were no gasoline or chemicals, but by the look of the way he was frantically rubbing his eyes under his glasses, it was very possible. All he asked was that for one meeting—just one!—these four could behave like the military rankings assigned them to act. If one of them didn't come up with a legitimate question in the next twenty seconds, he swore he was going to—

"How come we have to do this? Is he, like, a monster-level threat or something?" Oh thank the good goddess; Zackary had a brain! "The guy's not some type of crazy momma's boy who's trying to blow up the planet with a meteor, right?" Or maybe not, but Lazard was taking what he could get at this point.

Sephiroth looked upon the youngest male warily, "Playing those moronic 'RPGs' again, Zack?"

The boy scratched the back of his spiked hair with a nervous laugh, "Hehehe, well you know me, Seph. Gotta do something when I'm bored." His expression dropped to more a serious one as he took a step forward and raised his body against the desk, "Well, what could this 'Thunderstorm' possibly do that you need us to stop him?"

"He's robbed almost every bank, museum, jewelry store, and big business—including Shinra—, caused a great deal of damage on public property, and harmed, both physically and emotionally, every single of person we've sent after him..."

"Annnddd this involves us because…?"

Lazard sighed; they just didn't get it. Okay, how about an example; "You know how Reno's been unable to show himself for the last couple of weeks?"

The four nodded.

"It's because 'Thunderstorm' dyed his hair neon pink and it glows brightly in the dark."

They cringed (with the exaction of the General and Angeal), each involuntary grabbing their wonderful locks with panic. How could anyone ever dare mess with perfect hair? It was a crime against humanity! Shoving Sephiroth to the side, Genesis swept the document out of his hand and ignored his friend's death glare when he yelled: "We'll do it!"

The Director smirked; hair threatening worked every time with these four. That'll come in handy when he needed some blackmail material.

**:::**

The halls were filled with the echo of combat boots as the Shinra 'Big Four' proceeded to the General's office. Under their breath, Angeal and Sephiroth made little comments about Thunderstorms' file which were then jotted down in tiny print. Behind them, Genesis whined and groaned—wasn't he the one who accepted the mission the first place?—, clinging himself partly to Zack in an effort to get some attention. The boy could only laugh good naturedly and tug him along, all the while trying to ignore the extra weight he added. Zack wasn't going to lie to himself; Genesis was heavy when he needy.

"_Seph~_" The redhead finally whined out something coherent, not that it lessened the irritation it brought to the taller man.

"Yes, Genesis?" Here it comes.

"I don't wanna do this! I mean, what FUN is it? He's not gonna blow anything up or—"

"You don't know that for sure. The kid is pretty unpredictable." Zack commented. Genesis was not pleased with that, the pout that formed being clear enough, "I don't caaarrree!" he reached out, grabbing Angeal by his shirt to show just how _much_ he didn't want to be part of this, "Angy~ Do something!"

Well, it wasn't like Angeal could just walk away from that; his friend's claw for a hand pretty much halted any plan for escape he may have had. Slipping his hand into the folder that Sephiroth held in his hands, the dark-haired male proceeded to read aloud the detailed description—detailed being body structure, of course—of Thunderstorm. After all, Genesis had a thing for the young and possible tiny; the pervert.

Instantly, the man stood up steel straight, similar to if Hofo had come along and shot him up with another mako injection. Without a hint of what he was planning to do, Genesis snatched the paper out of his friend's hand and pulled it to his face. After a moment of inspection, the redhead frowned switch upward to that snaky grin that usually scared Zack and made Angeal sigh.

"Interesting." He eventually said. Slipping the paper back into the folder, Genesis decided that it was indeed safe for him to put his arm around Sephiroth's shoulder. It wasn't. But he ignored the stiffening of his friend's body, tipping his chin in favor of the devious thoughts that went through his colorful mind, "I think this is going to be fun."

Zack snorted, "Of course you would…" Unfortunately for the youngest, he had witnessed Genesis' 'love' (could you even call it that?) about a year ago, when he had been speeding through Shinra ranks. Now the Commander was giving him a glare, which he happened to favor over the usual look he got from him.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who just happens to be excited about this Thunderstorm…" He then eyed the General, "Riiight, _buddy_?"

Just for the record, Sephiroth did not appreciate being called 'buddy', especially when Genesis had that blasted look in his eye, "I fear I have no idea what you're talking about." That said; the taller man pulled away from the Commander, turning from him and heading towards his office once more. Sadly, he was not giving up.

"Oh~ I think you know _exactly _what I meant, Sephy." He teased, with Zack and Angeal in toe, ready to somewhat stop the beating Sephiroth might focus on the man.

For another record, Sephiroth did not appreciate being called 'Sephy', either. With pursed lips, he decided on putting his mind on his destination and the thought of locking Genesis out for the day.

Behind him, he heard Zack give a small—probably fake—gasp, "Gen, are you implying that Seph likes _tiny, bratty guys_?"

Scratch that, he was going to lock Zack out too if he kept it up.

"Nooo…maybe. You never know." He laughed, "I mean, Sephiroth liked you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think he was into the law breaking type."

"You know, looks can be deceiving."

That's it, if they kept it up, there were only going to be the Shinra Big TWO. And if Angeal even dared give a chuckle to their stupidity he swore that he was going to become the Shinra's Big ONE.

Finally, there was his door. Now he could at least keep the two retards behind a heavy wooden door and end the day with a nice big sleeping pill. "Remind me to tell Hojo that you two are willing to take part in that new 'super' mako injection he's been _dying_ to try. I'm sure he'll be very excited to know."

He smirked when he heard the two gulp loudly. Yeah, keep those mouths shut.

Reaching for the knob, Sephiroth calmly turned it and pushed the door open…only to receive a rocket of confetti in his face. And by face, it was really his entire body, the most powerful blast being right in between his eyes. The colorful strips of paper flew all around him, covering him from head to toe and even getting a bit on Angeal's chest.

He closed his eyes for a moment; trying to keep in a war scream of wrath (he didn't even have a 'war scream') before opening them to see—much to his _haaatttee_—that his office was no better then himself. Balloons and confetti were everywhere while streamers hung from the ceiling and covered his nice—and what use to be black but was now blue polka-dotted—desk. There was a white banner over the giant windows that read: _'From the glorious THUNDERSTORM.'_

His office looked like it was prepared for a fucking kid's party!

Making every single sound that could be related to the emotion of rage, Sephiroth violently swept himself clean when he noticed a note had fallen on his head. Ripping it off, he let his eyes scan over the paper frantically.

Dear _General Sephiroth_,

Congrats! You have won the honor of being my new person of interest! Along with having the chance to chase the _greatest _thief that ever was; you shall be the first to know where I will show for my next performance. I hope you'll be able to keep me entertained longer then those other guys they sent after me. You are, after all, the _General_. So, Mr. Sephiroth, you and your fellow SOLDIERS can meet me at the Shinra Museum of Art (SMA) at 9:25 PM tomorrow night. I have my eye on 'Shiva's Clear Tear' this time. Let the games begin, my good General!

With lots of Love,

**Thunderstorm**

xoxoxoxoxo

**P.S**- I would suggest tying back those pretty silver locks of yours, they may get 'accidental' caught in something if you're not careful.

Angeal was scared. That was the only word to describe the cold clammy feeling he was getting right now. He was down right scared of the way Sephiroth stared at the paper, like his eyes were the portal to hell itself. The man would have said something too, but he knew for a fact that it wasn't smart.

Genesis, however, didn't seem to notice or care as he slipped by to check out the small package that was placed in the center of Sephiroth's desk. He squealed as he picked it up, "Oh my goddess! How thoughtful! Marshmallow shaped chocobo treats!"

Zack zoomed past the still paralyzed with anger Sephiroth to check out the gift, "Ohhh! They've got a chocolate center! Awesome!" They proceeded to tear the box and food inside apart, blissfully unaware of the fact that the General's death glare was now fixated on them.

That's it; as soon as he was done maiming these two, he was going to set Thunderstorm on fire using the blizzard materia; he dared anyone to stop him with logic too.

**:::**

"Okkayyy Tifa! I've made it to the SMA! Let's get this party started!" Cloud yelled into his headset, his body crouched down behind stone gargoyle that looked suspiciously like Behemoth. Okay, maybe not 'crouched'. More like sitting down and swinging his legs erratically into the air. What? He needed to stretch his legs for the run!

A hiss came from other end before the brunette spoke, "Yeah, okay. How about lowering your voice? I think you just blew out half my eardrum." Cloud could have sworn he heard an 'ass' placed under one of those words, but he chose to ignore it. Tonight, after all, was going to be one of his most exciting 'performances' yet! Wait, not 'one'; the most! It was going to be the best! He couldn't want until his watch read 9:25. He just couldn't.

It was currently 9:15.

"Alright, Cloud. Listen carefully, I've pinpointed where everyone's going to be." Tifa spoke slowly. Cloud calmed his body and hummed an acknowledgment to her.

Meanwhile, the 'Big Four' sat ready for the thief to arrive. Well, Angeal and Sephiroth sat ready and prepared for him. Genesis and Zack were currently having their own conversation that consisted of insults, rumors, and whining. If it were up to him, Sephiroth would have destroyed his headset, but he was quite aware that using these were much more useful then their phones. Still, that didn't change the fact that he was currently forming a rather large headache.

"I'm telling you, man!" Zack ranted loudly, poking his sword towards and away from one of the moving lasers in the hallway. "Those chocobo treats taste better with the chocolate insides!"

"And I'm telling _you_," Genesis spat into his mic, "That the chocolate makes everything messier! Gaia, have you ever eaten one of them without the goo covering part of you! It's disgusting!"

"You just don't know how to eat it correctly! Last I checked you always get water on your shirt when you're not paying attention!"

"How dare you? I'll have you know that my water bottle is broken!"

"Like hell it is! You just can't keep your lips straight cause you're always looking at the asses that pass you by!"

"Alright, can we please end this ridiculous conversation here?" Angeal shrieked at his end. The two SOLDIERS jumped in surprise and they swore they heard Sephiroth chuckle darkly.

Genesis pouted with a 'hmph', crossing his arms over his chest. Currently, he was hidden behind a radiator that sat on the roof; the first spot that Thunderstorm was suspected to appear. The Commander didn't know why he was placed there; he arrogantly assumed that it was because he was fast, even if he thought he heard Sephiroth say something about 'at least if Zack's next, he can't get too far'. What that meant, Genesis could only guess.

Silence proceeded after them, than the noise started up again when the Red Commander began to hum, groan, and huff into his end. There was the sound of shifting around, which probably meant Genesis was now fidgeting with impatience.

Finally, he spoke, "What time is it?"

"It's 9:20…" came from Sephiroth's line.

That wasn't good enough for Genesis, apparently, as he let out an irritable breath of air. After another minute he snapped; "He's taking too long! I wanna catch this guy now!"

"Don't you mean _molest_, Gen?" Zack asked. Muffled laugher were held back on both Sephiroth's and Angeal's side. The Commander wasn't pleased.

The clocking went on ticking. It was now 9:23.

"Okay, you get it now, Cloud?" Tifa spoke calmly, enlarging one of the digital models on her computer screen. Three big yellow dots blinked in their respective spots, though it would seem there was something missing to it, "Remember, once you're in you can't talk to me."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, 'Mom'."

If she wasn't a bit annoyed with his eager attitude at the moment, she might have laughed at that. Key word is 'might'. "Now repeat it all back to me."

"Roof, Genesis. Hall, Zack. Exhibit Room, Angeal." A wide grin grew upon his face, his tiny pink tongue licking the corner of his lip with delight, "And then a game of hide and seek with the General. This gonna be fuuuunn!"

"Cloud! This is no laughing matter! You gotta be careful!"

The thief was being careful. Careful to prep himself for the game he was about ignite, anyway. "I'll be fine." Brilliant blue eyes landed on the watch around his wrist, the second hand creeping slowly towards the twelve.

5…

4…

3…

2…

…1…

The clock illuminated with a shocking blue when it hit 9:25. "Kay, Tifa! I'll see ya soon!" Cloud clicked off his headset before she could even reply back and removed the device from his head. Folding it, he stuffed it into his pocket. He stood up straight, rubbing his hands together with glee.

"And let the show begin!"

**:::**

**Mission 1: Genesis Rhapsodos**

**Location: Roof**

"_My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?"_

He wasn't going to lie. Sometimes Genesis' attention span was even shorter then Zack's, especially when he was bored. Simply believing that it was safe to do so, the auburn haired man decided to lie down on his back, the book LOVELESS held high above his head so he could clearly see the words. What could he say? Genesis was too good for his own good and catching this thief wasn't even going to need him to close the cover of the book. He could catch the little minx with one hand, even! That's how amazing he was!

Still, among the singing words that swept graceful out of his mouth, the Commander didn't hear the sound of hard heels shuffling and stomping across the top of roof. No, all he could hear was himself and the wonderful verses that he recited with such easy.

"_My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess…"_ He spoke again. Lifting a red leather thumb to his mouth, he licked the tip and flip the page to the next verse. Scanning teal eyes over the pages, he opened his mouth speak the next line,

"_Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return…"_

That wasn't his voice, Genesis knew that right away. His voice wasn't as soft or deep as this one and certainly didn't _sing_ the 'return' like this one did. Sitting up immediately, he spun his head around to the direction of the voice. There, standing stone still over the glass ceiling of the museum like some sort of marvel, was Thunderstorm. And he was defiantly more _alluring_ then the files said he was.

Oh yes, despite the mask that covered his upper face, Genesis could make out perfectly pink lips placed on pale white skin. Glorious blue eyes and golden blond hair glowed around all the ebony. And that body of his; tight black clothing was defiantly a good fit on him and his lean muscles. That description just didn't do this boy justice, but Genesis didn't care. Genesis liked what he saw. He liked it a whole lot.

Undoing his crossed arms from over his chest, Thunderstorm took a step forward, breaking the illusion that he was floating, "Act III…LOVELESS pg 4." It surprisingly took Genesis a while to realize that he was stating the exact spot where the line was featured.

Genesis smirked, snapping his book shut and shoving it into his jacket. "Well, well. The little thief is a theater lover, it seems." He stood as he spoke and brushed off any dust or dirt from his backside, "At least you're cultured…"

"Of course. Did you think I just counted my money all day?" Thunderstorm asked, a smirk crossing his features.

"Hmmm…perhaps. What is it that you do, then, Mr. Thief?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would, but I suppose that's out of the question along side your real name?"

The blond nodded, nonetheless advancing off the glass ceiling and onto the cement roof that the Commander stood upon. Genesis noted the boy, at closer inspection, wasn't as big as he seemed. The mask of the night from behind had confused his eyesight, though now he could clearly see that he came up to about his chin. Perrrrfect…he liked that height.

Cloud, on the other hand, was incredibly thrilled he had (and by 'he', he meant Tifa) done his (her) research before he had proceeded. Rumor had it that the 'Red Commander' liked to chase asses—mainly male ones—and to much of his distaste, he had discovered it to be true. Thank the goddess he hadn't turned around yet or he may risk getting groped! Even still, Cloud couldn't say he wasn't excited about messing with this guy. Rumor also had it that the Commander was easy to fool. Really easy. Easy as a Sector 7 hooker.

Lucky for him, he had dealt with this type of man before—anyone hear of Don Corneo?—so he was prepared for anything at this point.

"Aren't you going to arrest me?" The blond boy asked. Genesis smirked, "What fun would that be? After all, I came here for a chase and I suspect there to be one in the next few minutes."

"Oh? You think you can catch me so easily? I've gotten past Tseng." Said the thief, "You can't stop me."

"I believe I can, my dear boy. I'll have you tied up in a blink of the eye and carrying you off before you can even bat a pretty little eyelash."

"I doubt that. You may be quick, but I'm quicker. If this was a chocobo race, I'd leave you so far by behind that not even the most desperate grumbler could pick you."

Genesis laughed at that, "Hehe, sassy thief! I like that in my prey…" Cloud spotted a dark glimmer in the man's eye, though he didn't think it was caused by his joke.

There was an instant of silence then, the soft howl of the wind bellowing past them. Then Thunderstorm inhaled all his breath and bolted. Where he was going, no one really knew, but Genesis couldn't let him get away.

As soon as the boy slid over the glassy surface, Genesis was on his tail, his hand gripped around the helve of his sword and ready to swing. The thief prepared to jump off the edge of the building, but then ended up doing a flip to the side when Genesis attempted to strike him. He landed on his hands over the ledge. The Commander swung at him again, to which dodged with another flip.

_Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_

Repeatedly, Genesis tried to knock Thunderstorm down with his blade, only to miss when the bandit jumped and jolted away. Soon, the boy was simply doing cartwheels over and over in his evasion. The worst part was that every time the boy did flipped, Genesis was just this close to touch that perfect round ass of his.

Oh! The sexual tension was so thick for him that Angeal would probably break his sword in half if he tried to cut it.

Then, just as he swung once more, he spied an opening. Down came Thunderstorm's black clad arm, mistakenly released from its original path. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Genesis threw his sword out of his hand and gripped the blond boy's arm.

Cloud hissed; he wasn't expecting the commander to hold him so hard. He supposed that's what happens when a pervert is extremely needy. Well, at least he didn't grab him in a position where he could pull his arm out of the socket. That was the risk of having plans; there was always something that could go wrong. Fortunately, he was in such a position that he could do what he wanted.

As the two settled back on the flat roof top, Genesis fumbled around in his pocket for his handcuffs. He smirked; he did it! He caught the thief before anyone else! Take that Sephy! Ohh~ He couldn't wait to rube the truth in his long, angry fac—

In mid-thought of imagery (and impossible) things, the Commander wasn't ready for a struggle, though he should have been. Spinning on his heel, Thunderstorm had turned around in his grasp and sprung his free hand in what Genesis assumed was a punch. However, the boy instead seized the collar of his jacket and pulled him down, smooching him on his lips.

Shinra most likely wouldn't be proud to know the Commander gladly submitted to the boy as soon as what was happening registered in his mind (As Zack would put it: "HAVE SOME FUCKING SELF CONTROL, YOU FREAKING SEX MANIC!"). Nor would they be happy that he had released the criminal's hand before he cuffed him. Ah, but what did that matter? It didn't! Not when his mouth was being assaulted by a tongue that tasted like bubble gum candy. The older man groaned sinfully, his hand leading down to stroke the boy's ass.

It didn't make it there.

Genesis never did like being hit with green Materia. For some reason it always felt like he was being hit with a keyboard (this being if it wasn't element based) and left a nasty taste of fish covered in peanut butter in his mouth. It wasn't a very pleasant way to end a kiss, either.

A pain struck the sides of his body and restricted his muscles. He would have screamed too, but when Thunderstorm pushed away, he found his lips to be glued shut. Awkwardly he stood there like a colored statue, his arms looking as if he was holding onto an invisible person.

The Commander groaned, his eyes darting around franticly until they landed on Thunderstorm, who was doubled over from the lack of air lost when he laughed. The boy stood straight up, smirking with tears in his bright blue eyes. He lifted his fingers to the man's view, letting him see the bright green Materia between his pointer and middle finger.

"Ahwmmmtoffmmmumtrriaa?" Translation: "A Stop Materia?"

Cloud snickered, dropping the bead into his pocket, "Man, that was easier then I thought! You didn't even see it coming!"

The Commander glared—the area around his eyes was apparently the only thing he could move—at the boy, "Hummduunnnfffuumeemmhaaammm?"

Translation: "Where did you get that?"

"Same place I got my sweet ass!" He answered, shaking his bottom to spite him. "I got it from my Momma!" Knowing it was time to move on, Cloud mockingly saluted the red head as he opened the glass panel, "The spell should wear off in an hour! Don't go thinking about me now or you'll have to get some new pants!" Then he was gone, falling through to the museum below.

The Commander fought to move a muscle, to call out into the night, but it was no good. Just his luck; his little criminal had mastered Materia on him! It was horrible that his wonderful bandit could do such a thing! It broke his heart just thinking about it. Though it also made him think of a lot of kinky things he could have used that Materia for…

Genesis wept bitterly; if it was for his loss or for his own little 'problem' was unknown.

**Mission 1: Genesis Rhapsodos**

**Status: Defeated**

**:::**

**Mission 2: Zack Fair**

**Location: Hallway #14**

With his tongue playfully out, Zack stood as straight as he could, his head high and balancing sword in the air. Boredom always struck quickly for the young man and foolish things weren't rare to happen when he needed to preoccupy himself. This whole situation, then, possibly wouldn't be as bad if Zack wasn't also jumping over two moving lasers.

Why would he do this? Well, does Zack ever need a logical reason for the things he does? The answer is a big red 'NO'.

The situation continued to get undeniably worse as the boy began to hum the Mission: Impossible theme, slipping his feet over another moving (and most likely deadly) laser. Letting his mind slip away from the fact that he was suppose to be watching for the thief—because that's what he was doing there after all—Zack hardly noticed the black rope that slipped from the high ceiling above or the body that shimmied down it.

Cloud knew that Zack Fair was not one to be professional—Hell, he was known for being on the only SOLDIERs to let loose monster because he lost a bet—but this…this was sort of…ridiculous. The blond actually did a double take when he saw the young man jumping and dancing around, humming obnoxiously over the faint buzz of the lasers that _could_ cage him.

And they were expecting him to stop **Thunderstorm**? Cloud didn't know if he should pity the poor guy or not…Huh, better not. Makes it less fun when he actually succeeds.

Jumping down from the rope, Cloud walked closer to the laser covered section of the hall; studying all of the walls that surrounded him. If Tifa did her research correctly, the way the hallways worked was if you tripped a laser, it would trigger a cage to close on you. Depending on where you were, the cages could drop from the ceiling, portray from under one the crappy display pictures on the wall, or—if you were really unlucky—the whole section would shift around and you be stuck in one large container for the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, Zack remained non-the-wiser of his visitor, which was preferred by Cloud anyway. The spikey haired SOLDIER had literally began to dance now, shaking his hips playfully from left to right, a silly little grin plastered on his face.

Cloud gave the guy this; he was cute in a dork way. A_dork_able, that's what he was.

As the man twirled and twirled about, each time narrowly missing a laser, the blond couldn't help himself. It was particularly funny that his tongue wagged out of his mouth like a puppy. Or that when he finally did notice the thief, his body had gone backwards and his large violet-blue eyes widen to a size that rivaled dinner plates.

He waved, "Sup, Dancing Queen?" He winked at the young man, "Are you young and sweet? Also, are you only seventeen?"

Zack didn't laugh at his joke—well, _he_ thought it was funny.

Rocketing one foot in the air, the SOLDIER almost fell as he fumbled with the sword that was unbalancing from his nose. "Gahha~ Pointy! Sharp! Pointy! Pointy!" He chanted every time the sword would fall the wrong way in his open and waiting palms, jumping his way back to the safe point of the hallway. Once he got the thing straight and firm, he pointed it threateningly at his amused enemy, "YOU!" then realized he was currently holding his weapon by the blade and it was cutting through the leather and skin of his hand.

He threw it up in pain, caught it correctly this time, and then pointed back at Thunderstorm, "YOU!" He repeated.

"Yes, Ricky Martin. Me. I'm right here. Thank you for pointing out the obvious twice in a row." Said the bratty thief.

The SOLDIER growled at him, displeased by his response. Why wasn't he scared? Here he was, face to face with the great Zack Fair and he was making fun of him? That didn't process well in Zack's mind. How could he not be afraid or at least a little bit uneasy? Could…it be that this stranger was…fearless?

The thought brought a dreamy smile to the boy's face, one that Cloud returned with an even larger grin. This was going to be fun.

"So, you wanna play a game?" The blond inquired, "It would make this much more entertaining, don't you think?"

Zack lowered the sword slowly, "Sure. What do ya have in mind?" Foolish as it made be, Zack was a sucker for games and competitions and he was never to let one slip by. Even if they were obviously stupid and dangerous; that just made it all the more appealing.

Thunderstorm's grin widen, "See these lasers?" He motioned to the ever-moving red strips of lights between them, "Well, all you gotta do is chase me though them until one of us gets caught. If I get caught, I'll surrender. If you get caught? I guess you gotta sit in a cage while I get away."

"And what if we both get caught?"

"Then we both sit in the cage and we're tied."

Huh. Doesn't leave much room for in-betweens, did it? Pretty straight forward actually. He wins, he catches the thief. He loses; the thief gets away. There's a tie; the thief is stuck along with him. The flaw with this was that he was messing with a mastermind of tricks and secrets; very well he could be falling into his well planned out trap before he even saw him. Zack liked that idea…he liked it a lot, actually.

After a minute or two of deliberation, Zack nodded his head, "Alright. Alright. I'll do it." He said, gripping the handle of his sword harder with earnest excitement. Cloud saw that little motion and, happy that his little 'plan' had fallen into place so easily, couched down. "On my mark, we jump into lasers."

"Kay…" the 1st class SOLDIER slumped over, hands to the ground, and readied himself to run.

"On my mark…"

The thief reached back into his pocket, feeling around for a circle-shaped item. Unknowing what he was thinking, Zack licked his lips and placed a gloved hand over the handle of his sword.

"Get set…"

Grasping his item, Cloud made a mental note to not forget which pocket it was in before putting his hands on the ground and stared back at his opponent. Their eyes met right then, blue against blue, as Cloud opened his mouth and yelled,

"GO!"

The kid must have super speed or something because Zack didn't even see him move. In fact, by the time he registered that they had started, Thunderstorm was leaping from side to side towards a nearby statue. Choking back a breath of panic, the SOLDIER clumsily flipped over a few flashing lasers, ducking when one almost ran over his head.

"YOO HOO! ZACK! LOOKIE LOOK!" See, and this was why you should never play games with known criminals, Angeal would say. Zack now understood the reasoning behind his mentor's logic as he witnessed the thief taking hold of a colorfully bright crystal vase and hurling it over his head.

"Oh…OH SHIT!" He shrieked and forced his frozen legs to move. The vase twirled about in the air like a dancer, taking what seemed to be forever to lose its height and fall. When it did, Zack jumped forward and slid across the floor with his hands out.

Nonononononononono! If this thing broke, he'd never hear the end of it. A priceless vase? That would be a HUGE cut in his paycheck. He'd be eating cups of instant noodles for MONTHS! Forget missing his chance to catch Thunderstorm, he'd rather risk that then lose all his money for an expensive piece of…

"Plastic?" Zack blinked as the surprisingly light vase fell into his arms. This didn't feel like it was a priceless piece of work. Hell, the flowery paintings on the side looked like they were made by a four year old. Sitting up, Zack turned the vase around to see the little imprint on the bottom that read: MADE IN WUTAI.

"I…Uh…Wha…"

Rich, throaty laugher echoed from behind as Thunderstorm clung from a wall tapestry of Odin, "That's right! FAKE!" He called out, much to the SOLDIER's disbelief, "Don't you know everything outside exhibit rooms aren't just copies? Who would be dumb enough to actually put priceless works of art out in a place a kid could slam into it and break it?" He wiped a tear away. That was too easy.

In shock, Zack let the vase fall to the ground to see it, indeed, bounce for a moment with a hollow 'thump'. He couldn't believe it; he had been tricked by a blond and a piece of nicely painted plastic. And to make matters even worst—and slightly more embarrassing—Zack noticed a laser had ran over his boot and was now flashing brightly.

CLUNK!

Overhead, the ceiling moved apart and down came a large steel cage. Letting his smarter half take over, Zack just barely missed the contraption, but much to his displeasure he hit another few lasers. They also beamed bright red and released two more cages from the walls.

"AHHHHH!" The man clung to the top of a cage and breathed a sigh of relief. S-so…close…" He managed out.

Thunderstorm laughed again, his hand clutching his stomach. This was great! You couldn't pay for entertainment like this and the best part was he hardly had to do ANYTHING. This guy was doing everything on his own. Tifa was wrong; doing bad things always rewarded you in the end.

Zack? He was livid. That little brat was laughing at him? AGAIN? Oh no! Now he was pissed. Unsheathing his sword, Zack screamed out at the top of his lungs and jumped from the cage towards the thief. Cloud moved away just in time as his opponent slashed into the tapestry, effectively cutting it in half.

"COME BACK YOU LITTLE ASS!" He bellowed, pulling his sword from the fabric and coming after him again. Cloud wasn't actually expecting the guy to react like this but…hey, not everything goes as you plan. Jumping, flying, flipping, and dodging all the lasers was a hardly challenge, but now, with Zack trying to slash and dice at his back, Cloud was finally getting something worth running from.

A pissed off, mako-enhanced, and violent SOLDIER.

Zack hissed, "GET BACK HERE!"

"LIKE HELL I WILL!" Cloud yelled back over his shoulder.

"LET ME CHOP YOU IN HALF!"

"WHY THE FUCK WOULD I LET YOU DO THAT?"

"CAUSE I WANT TO!"

Again, Zack stabbing the sword towards Thunderstorm and by some luck managed to catch his pants. Cloud squealed and nearly tumbled over. Cart wheeling away, the blond decided this was getting too risky. Time to end it.

Shoving a hand into his pocket, Thunderstorm threw something over Zack's head and moved to his left. Not caring what he done, the SOLDIER abandoned his sword and thrust his hands forward. Now he was just trying to grab the little rat. Every time he managed to get his fingers to touch black fabric, the thief would pull away and stumble over another laser. Still, Zack refused to give up and, as he reached out, grinned when he saw Thunderstorm's foot slip into the laser.

"HA!" He cheered while he took a step backwards. He stared up, waiting for when the cage fell down and captured his prey.

Well, a cage did fall, but it was on top of him.

The grin slipped from his face as steel bars enveloped around him "Ha…?" D...did he just get…caught? Gripping the metal bars, Zack kicked and tugged in frustration. "What? What? Noooo! WHAT? How in Shiva's—" The SOLDIER stopped mid-sentence.

Was that a mirror?

Cloud grinned, his hand shoved into his defeated opponent's face. In his hand was a small, round compact mirror, "You should really pay attention to what your enemy does." He chuckled at Zack's dumbfounded expression, "I threw this out before and when it hit a laser, it started reflect it. The laser I hit was a reflection, not a real one."

He was speechless. Really. His mind was attempting to process that he had just lost to a blond and his compact mirror. It was…really mind-boggling. What next? Was a flower girl going to smack him down with a metal pole?

Open-mouthed and wide eyed, Zack let the revelation hit him hard. Harder then anything Sephiroth had ever used to smack him with. Oh yeah this was just…too much. And that's when Zack Fair fell back and promptly fainted.

Closing the compact shut, Cloud shook his head at the silly look plastered on the raven headed man's face, "You are such a drama queen…" Yet, as he spoke, the blond let a smile tug on his lips.

Turning on his heels, the thief waved his farewell to his fallen opponent, "That was fun, for the most part. Hope to see ya again, Zacky-boy." And then disappeared into the next room.

Meanwhile, Zack's right eye twitched because, even in his unconscious state, he couldn't believe that vase was plastic.

**Mission 2: Zack Fair**

**Status: Defeated**

**:::**

**Mission 3: Angeal Hewley**

**Location: Exhibit Room #18**

Two down, two to go. Let's knock it down to one.

"14, Wutain Calligraphy…15, Loveless Paintings…16, Materia Statues…" Normally, during the day these marble floors squeaked when the bottoms of shoes hit it. Thunderstorm, however, knew how to move without so much as a 'tap' through the darken hallway. Against the wall, he slid and stopped repeatedly, peering up through his golden locks to see the name of the exhibit he was by. Unlike the hallways, all the things on display in the exhibit rooms were real, right down to the hardly recognizable chunk of stone supposedly made by a Cetra. Of course they weren't going to stay there forever. Most were put up for display once a year. Then they were taken down and hidden under lock and key. Unfortunately, it was the one place Cloud could never find, so when something he liked was up, he had to hurry and take it before the month was up.

"17, Honeybee Photography...oh, that is just wrong." He mumbled under his breath, shuttering at the thought of what the actual 'content' was. Nonetheless, he pushed on and ducked behind a gold-painted statue of a woman draped in silk and flowers. Above his head, he could barely make out the magical words he had been searching for.

**EXHIBIT # 18: TREASURES OF THE SUMMONS**

What a perfect place to put a pretty little jewel named 'Shiva's Clear Tear', no? Like anyone could guess, the item in question was a tear-shaped jewel the size of Tifa's fist that had been carved by an unknown artist. Supposedly, it was made straight from a frozen tear drop that had fallen when Shiva had witnessed the death of her lover. This, of course, was all hearsay but it made the jewel priceless even so; which was perfect for Cloud actually. He's been needing something to really make President Shinra cry and faint with despair.

"Fuu—Genesis! How the hell does he get himself into these messes?"

That was the irritable growl of the biggest member of the Big Four; Commander Angeal Hewley. At a height that was only rivaled by the General, Angeal was considered the most intimidating man, physically, among his coworkers. Still, research had proven that the Commander was a big softie when it came down to it, especially when one mentions a certain word (Cloud'll give you a hint; it sounds something like 'sonor').

Though, at the moment he didn't look soft or friendly as he listened to the report going on over his headset. Apparently, Commander Genesis had just been discovered on the roof, paralyzed with a Stop Materia and a rather large tent in his pants. Angeal didn't even need to ask on how it happened; his mind filled in the distasteful blanks. The elite sighed. Perhaps Lady (Lord, he doesn't judge) Lucky would have it that Zack would succeed with the tiny thief. The feeling in his gut, however, told him not to get comfortable against the pillar holding 'Shiva's Clear Tear'. It wasn't as if he would but he was sort of hoping to get this over quickly.

Really, how hard could it be to catch one klepto teenager in a black suit?

Evidently, it was extremely hard.

Cloud decided he wasn't going to make an entrance with this guy. Normally, he would've loved messing with his pursuers—Reno and Rude had actually chased him down on _motorcycles_ one time—but it was time to get serious. If he wasn't careful, he could break the thing, after all.

"Yo." He waved casually from the doorway, as if he was meeting with a friend. Angeal hadn't expected the kid to come out of nowhere like that, without a flashy entrance to boot, and stared at him surprised for a second.

Thunderstorm cleared his throat, "So, I've come to take that," he pointed towards the jewel, "and then I'll be on my way. If you'll excuse me…" In one fluid step, Thunderstorm jumped and flipped over Angeal's head to the other side of the platform. Licking his thumb, he reached out with a greedy hand to grab at his prize.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Before Cloud could wrap his fingers around it, Angeal had plucked the jewel from its display. The thief pouted, wiggling his fingers around the spot, "Gimme that."

The elite raised a black eyebrow at his words, "Are you demanding me to let you steal this?" Thunderstorm nodded and reached for it like a spoiled child, "I earned it!"

The bigger man pushed him away with finger and handle the jewel over his head, "How so?"

"I tricked all of Shrina and Zack and Genesis—"

"Well to make it fair, it is Zack and Genesis. All you need is a whole lot of shiny objects."

"—so just hand it over or I'll do something you'll really regret!"

"Like?"

"I'll dye your hair bubble gum pink!"

Angeal chuckled at that, "Please. Because of Genesis, I've had my skin colored red, green, and lavender in a span of three weeks. Compared to that, pink hair is like a fashion statement."

The bond growled, his entire body now clinging to the pillar in want of the shiny jewel in the man's hand. So he was attracted by shiny this; bite him. He made a swiping motion towards Angeal, "Hand it over."

The Commander pulled away, "No."

"Cooommee on!"

"No."

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Comeonecomeoncomeoncomeon! COME ON!"

"Has your mother ever taught you screaming and grabbing is not the way to get what you want?" The SOLDIER mocked with a smirk.

Obviously, Angeal had never met Lily Strife.

Okay, it was time Plan B. Yanking and grabbing at the rather large man wasn't working thus Cloud went with a new approach. Unleashing a shriek that equaled that of a Nibelheim Wolf, Thunderstorm flew off the pillar and pounced on Angeal. It was all claws and teeth from there.

Eventually, Angeal was able to successful shove the boy away with the jewel still in his grip. It wasn't easy with his hands and feet frantically moving around like he was having a conniption though. Inhaling deeply, Angeal threw a bunch of his stray hair out of his face, "Gaia, do you really need this that badly? Don't you have enough money as it is?"

Cloud, who had fallen to the ground in a breathless mess, glared up at him, "It will never be enough! I won't stop until I run this place dry!"

"And why is that?"

"W-why? Well…I…" To be honest, Cloud had no reason besides the thrill of the chase. Most of the money that he didn't use either went off to his mother, Tifa, Aerith, or a bunch of his friends and the poor people living the slums. It wasn't a very good excuse but it was…Hey, wait a minute. Cloud suddenly got an idea and it was a good one.

Darken his expression, Cloud let his crystal blue eyes peer to the ground as he spoke, "You'd never understand, being in SOLDIER and all."

He heard the man sigh, "Try me. Really."

"It's…my sister; Melissa. All the money is for her 'cause…" He choked back a sob, "C-cause of that stupid inn in the slums…"

The blond turned his face away in what seemed to be apparent shame. Angeal dropped his hands to his side and leaned over, his eyes wide with sudden realization, "You mean the Honeybee Inn?"

"YES! That one!" The boy suddenly exclaimed; tears ran down from the corners of his eye, "My father owed Don Corneo a whole bunch of money, but we couldn't pay after he died, so Don took my sister away as payment. She's only fourteen; but he said until I paid up, she'd have to be the one to work off the debt with her…b-body and I…" Thunderstorm stopped for a moment, his body racked with tears of pity and shame (but really it was just from the sheer fact that he couldn't believe the guy was buying into this load of carp) and he had to take a second to compose himself before he could continue on, "…I-I didn't mean for it to get this far but it was the only way I could figure how to get the money and I had no where left to turn to…I'm really s-sorry I-I…"

"Enough!"

Cloud jumped; holy carp, Angeal so totally didn't believe him at this point. There was only one thing to do: jump him again, knock him out with his sword, tie him up, and hide his body in the closet. He'd had to high tail out of there cause he was sure the guy would pissed now that he told such a fat, gigantic mother of all li—

"Don't worry, son, I'm sure all will be well." Angeal said with a pat to the boy's shoulder.

Cloud looked up in shock, mouth agape at the sympatric air Angeal wore around him. The large man stood to his feet and beat his swelling chest with pride, "Such determination for such a unfortunate pair. Truly shows what type of honor a man has when he sinks so low for a noble cause like your sister."

Cloud deafly nodded with a single thought echoing in his mind _…WHAT?_

The elite went on with his back turned from him, "Your honor and strife should be rewarded! Your sister should be proud of you, my dear boy! Risking your neck out for her and only her. I have not known bravery like yours in a while. Do not be afraid! I shall personally lead a revolt against that disgusting man and his dishonorable Inn!"

In his blind denial that the supposed Commander actually bought into his lie, Cloud accidentally let his hand slip. His fingers found something cold and hard to entangle with and when Cloud looked to see what it was, he smirked. "Oh, you will!" He asked with fake excitement while he stood, something large and heavy in his hands.

"Yes! It would be my pleasure!" Angeal exclaimed, not noticing that something was being moved around him. The Commander really got caught up in his speeches, "Then we can put this whole nasty mess behind us!"

Thunderstorm chuckled darkly, "What do you mean?"

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed around him, yet Angeal choose to ignore it and go on, "I'll recommend you for SOLDIER. A fine skilled young man such as yourself will fit in perfectly! I'm sure even Zack will take a liking to you after things."

"Golly gee, ! That sounds swell!" The cheery sound of Thuderstorm's voice totally did not match the sadistic smile on his face as he pulled on something. In flash, Angeal flew off his feet and fell to the ground in a twisted heap of chains, "But I think I'll just stay with my regular profession. Got no boss, ya see?"

Tying the last of the chains together, Cloud looked upon his work with pride. It was really convenient that 'Odin's Chained Hell' was on display at the same as 'Shiva's Clear Tear'. It was also really lucky that said chains weren't glued to the gigantic statue behind him. As always, though, Cloud counted himself as a lucky man.

Angeal cursed within his trap, squirming about in an attempt to break free. Dear Ifrite, don't tell him the artist was so paranoid about breaking this that he used mako-infused chains? A loud curse was released as Cloud bent down and picked up the disregarded jewel from in front of the man.

"Sorry about that, my good sir." He said with a nod, however his face read something of pure arrogance and bull-shit, "but you understand, business and all."

Angeal didn't find one bit of this 'business-like' at all. In fact, this read like one of Genesis's poorly put together sex fantasies. Sometime in the future, he was going to have to scrub his mind clean of that.

As Thunderstorm gave his final goodbyes and waved away, Angeal couldn't help but hiss out, "What about your sister?"

The blond looked back and gave a laugh, "Dude, I'm an only child." Before he moved out of sight, leaving Angeal angry, flabbergasted, and with an ever-growing hatred for any one who used chains in a work of art.

**Mission 3: Angeal Hewley**

**Status: Defeated **

**:::**

**Mission 4: Sephiroth**

**Location: Unknown**

"Gone?"

"Yes, sir. The jewel and Thunderstorm have disappeared without a trance."

_Hmrf…Why would I expect otherwise?_ The General asked himself, rolling emerald green eyes at his own stupidity. His friends were good at a lot of things, he would never deny them that, but considering how easily tricked they were, he wasn't expecting any of them to succeed in this case. What with Genesis's sexual daydreams and Zack's short attention and Angeal's ability to get 'cute' confused with 'evil'. It was inevitable.

In fact, Sephiroth had planned it right down to Angeal's mumbling over how he was tricked. Clearly, the kid knew where to look for personal research.

However, when Sephiroth had anticipated the painful downfall of all his coworkers, he had also taken a wild guess at what Thunderstorm would do after he had won his prize. He wouldn't remain there; that would be incredibly stupid and out of character. No, he would try to escape and there was no doubt in his mind that the thief would do it airborne.

Taking the necessary measures in the hallway, height of the building, width of space between the neighboring structures, and time it would take to scale and jump from each one, Sephiroth deduced that at around five minutes and forty-three point 6 seconds, Thunderstorm would appear from the northwest of the Minimart roof 6 feet away.

Well, he was slightly off, he noted. The blond appeared from the west instead. Fortunately, it wasn't too far off that when the tiny body scampered along like a scared rabbit, Sephiroth could emerge from the stairs below and launch his sword like a missile towards his feet.

For a split second there, Cloud was extremely poutie too. He thought the General had become bored and left. He almost cursed himself for not hurrying up with Zack sooner so he could have sped up and met with his true target before hand. But then the sword came flying at him like a bullet to come chop his legs off. Cloud gleefully moved from its path when he noticed the silver blanket of hair blazing in the wind behind him.

The sword hit the floor with a thud, creaking open the cemented floor as it fell silent and still. The thief twirled to the side, hands still gripped tightly around his treasures and his face upward with a beaming smile at the new arrival, "General Sephiroth! I thought you had disappeared on me. You know it wouldn't have been fun here without you."

The taller man narrowed his eyes, hands to his hips, but the beginnings of a smile working on his face, "I could not leave; you own me a new desk and that jewel of yours would work nicely as a payment." If anyone wondering, he was still upset about his office. He happened to like all the things placed in there.

The thief chuckled, "You didn't like my artwork? I made it just for you."

"I suggest you start taking art classes. Now…" Uncrossing his arms, Sephiroth out stretched his hand towards the young man, "I would like you return that to me. You've caused enough trouble and I would like to go home."

Many would have froze and crumbled to their knees at his piercing glare. Others would have shivered and surrendered when he spoke with such a chilling voice. A select few may have even blushed and given up the jewel without a hesitation after staring at his dazzling features for quite some time. On the other hand, Cloud wasn't like most people and was luckily able to withstand his deadly charms. So he chose to twirl around from the General, playful throwing the jewel into the air, "I don't think so."

"I could kill you, you know." was the man's response.

"Oh, I'm quite aware you have that freedom, General, but you know as well as any one that I never give up anything without a fight."

The man sighed; he could see where this conversation was going and it was already regretting the words coming out of his mouth, "Do you desire for me to beat the shit out of you, then?"

Cloud looked back, "Well, not my choice of words but I think I get what you're getting at." Once more, he threw the jewel into the air like a baseball, "You beat me; I lose and give up. I manage to escape; I win. Simple fun, really."

Sephiroth shook his head, "It would just save time if you shut up and came quietly."

"I'm a thief, my good sir; I steal everything away, even time." Thunderstorm spoke, smirking at him, on foot stepping backwards, "I could even steal something extremely precious from you."

The whisper may have been extremely low to a normal human, but the General clearly heard the hush sound that had flew from the thief's lips, "I highly doubt that. For one, what do I have 'precious' to steal?"

Cloud grinned, "Something you'd never expect to lose." Then he ran. Ran as fast as he could. Ran right past the General. Ran right to the edge of the building.

Gold slipped past Sephiroth's view and, for a second, the man couldn't believe that he had almost lost sight of his prey. Holding a growl deep within his throat, he threw himself from ground with one foot and flew through the air like a bat. Cloud attempted to slow down before his mind could catch up and process that the General had just landed right in front him. Clumsily sliding and tumbling away from the man reaching toward him, the thief ducked to the right and tried to jump for the roof,

"UGGCH!"

Tongue out and fingers prying at the black fabric of his shirt now pulled at his neck, the blond kicked and gasped in mid air. He should have seen that coming. The General had long enough arms that it shouldn't surprise him when he was able to grasp a fistful of his shirt and hold him over the edge.

This was not one of his better plans.

Sephiroth chuckled—and Cloud was sure it was at his pain—and without a single thought of hesitation, threw him backward over his shoulder. The boy fell hard with a pitiful 'thump' and rolled to his side.

"Son of a…" he managed out, rubbing his chest where the jewel he had hidden away stuck and imprinted itself. He was going to be feeling that in the morning.

"Like I said; this could have been avoided if you had given up." Sephiroth mused as he walked back towards the boy. A thin silver eyebrow arched at the laugh he received. The hunched mess of boy mumbled something between hasty breaths to which he could not understand. The General bent his body over, his silver locks falling over his chest as he asked; "What was that?"

"I said…" The boy started. A hand darted out under Sephiroth's chin, to which he had assumed was to choke him, but instead griped a mountainous amount of his luscious hair, "You should have tied your hair back! It's a weak spot, you know." Then the boy pulled, and he pulled _hard_, similarly to if he was pulling on a rope, and stood. Sephiroth's body came with him and shook with what Cloud assumed was pain.

"What did I tell you? I would think you'd listen to the warning I sent ya!" He laughed loudly, yanking and twisting his hands around as he took one step…two step…three…four, five, six steps back. The General's body followed after him, hissing like a snake caught in a trap.

"I suggest you let go, boy." A shaky breath escaped after he spoke.

Cloud's smirk grew wide and malicious, "Or what?" He tugged violently, "You can't beat me! I'm gonna win and you're gonna lo—"

Once again, Cloud should have seen that coming.

In all his gloating, the thief hardly noticed all unrealistic loads of hair freeing themselves from Sephiroth's mane. Now, however, as he pulled and pulled, he finally understood what had exactly taken the place when something snapped and Cloud fell back with a handful of hair flowing after him.

He gasped through a blanket of silver; "Hair extensions?"

A hand grabbed his before he could hit the ground. Cloud winced when cool metal painful clamped around his tiny wrist and he was turned, his other hand captured as well in handcuffs. "Oh fuck!" He yelled, fighting against the restraints.

Sephiroth smirked down at the boy, holding him in place with one hand, "Yes, yes. Keep fighting. I'm sure you'll be able to the break those." Sarcasm dripping from his mouth, the taller man then casually slipped his fee hand into the boy's shirt. Cloud gasped and squirmed about; it was no use though. The General was a strong man.

"Mmm hmm. Thank you." He said after, taking the clear jewel from the boy's shirt and holding it up into the air to see. Indeed, it was the real thing and not some fake one the boy had made just in case he was caught. Stuffing the jewel within his coat pocket, Sephiroth's eyes wandered to the boy's masked face to find that he was…pouting?

Surely enough, Cloud was pouting like a little school girl denied what she wanted. Or Genesis in his cuter days; either or, really. The blond shuffled around in his combat boots and the General couldn't help take note how noticeable _smaller_ the kid was now that he wasn't bouncing around. Unable to catch himself staring, Sephiroth pricked an eyebrow up curiously when the boy's crystal blue eyes turned towards him with an adorable feistiness in them. His eyes narrowed at that moment and the boy then spin his head away from him in a defiant manner. Sephiroth gaped.

Did…did the boy just…snub him? _Him_? **General Sephiroth**? _**The Demon of Wutai**_? Flabbergasted wasn't the best word for how he felt. It was more of an explosion of shock, rage, and a small ping of hurt.

Standing there with his jaw dropped, the silver haired man was brought out of stupor by the sound of soft laughter. Laughter that grew louder and louder until it was like stereo surround sound. Then Thunderstorm collapsed to his baggy knees, his body shaking and tears streaming over his black mask.

"I can't…I can't…BELIEVE you just made that face!" He bellowed between painful chokes of laughter. It didn't even seem to bother him that his hands were still bound behind his back uncomfortable and held up the chain in his captor's hands. "I didn't even think you could MOVE the muscles around like that! HAHAHAAAAA!"

Well, to say the least, Sephiroth was not amused. Not even mildly. In fact, he could not see what in Gaia's name was so hilarious about him being shocked over this. And this embarrassment wouldn't even compare to what would happen if the General realized he was _blushing_.

Cloud laughed harder. He knew the General was something, but this…oh! this was worth being arrested!

"Would you shut up?" Sephiroth heaved the boy onto his feet and glared with the promise that if his sword wasn't over on the other side of the roof, he would run him through. After a few more giggles and gasps, Thunderstorm finally calmed himself down long enough to look up at the General with a smirk that read a whole lot of evil.

Sephiroth glared turned even darker, "You have a lot a nerve; laughing at me like that."

Cloud gave a small snicker, "You have no idea how much nerve I have. I haven't even done anything crazy yet."

"Oh? Because all this wasn't insane enough for you?"

"That's right. I have something up my sleeve that you'll never be able to catch." That skeptical air he was receiving from the man told he wasn't being believed, "Bend down and I'll show you what I mean, Sephy~"

His cat-like eye twitched at the name 'Sephy' but he pursed his lips and held back the need to hit the boy. Tightly holding the boy's hand so he couldn't try grabbing at him again, the General did as he was asked, seeing no harm within it. Inches from the side of his cheek, Sephiroth waited for what the boy needed to say; "Well?"

That damnable, untrustworthy, and utterly cunning grin snaked its way onto Cloud's face as his bubble gum breath mixed with Sephiroth's mint flavor. With no apparent thought in his pretty little head, Thunderstorm pushed his body up and mashed his soft lips into Sephiroth's untouched, pale mouth.

He froze. The General was paralyzed to the spot, his hands flying off the boy's restraints. Those emerald green-eyes, rumored to only be able to glare, widen as far as they possibly could. His silver hair stood on ends and seemed to spike up like he was struck with an electric current. Hot mako-infused blood sped through his veins and engulfed his body like fire.

Many had thought it was impossible, others presumed it to be unlikely, but the General had been caught off guard.

Cloud played against the unresponsive set of lips, sucking and biting the best he could. It was hard, however, with his hands cuffed. Still, he pushed on and propped the General's mouth open with his tongue. It slipped past, sure enough, and eagerly met with the unmoving object of desire. It twisted and turned inside their mouths, eventually coaxing Sephiroth to respond. By that time, unfortunately, Cloud had jumped out of his grasp. But this was not before his leather hand had sunk into unruly blond hair and took hold of the black mask.

When Thunderstorm stood straight, his hands still held tightly against his back, Sephiroth couldn't help but _stare_. It was one thing when half his face was covered, hiding what ever trace of identity the General could have discovered, but now it was uncovered. Thunderstorm, whom ever he may be, was one of the most gorgeous creatures he had ever seen. The boy's face, somewhere caught between that of a teenager with baby fat and a handsome young man, beamed back at him with rosy cheeks on sun tanned skin.

Even with his face revealed, the thief smiled on at him, "Caught meeeee~" He said, breaking the unbearable silence with a wink. Small clicks sounded around them followed by a thud of metal hitting the floor. Out came Cloud's free hands, a tiny key swinging on his middle finger.

Back to reality, Sephiroth bent his head to look within his jacket. Those keys were around his belt…what if…

"Don't worry; you can have the jewel. I got what I wanted."

_What? _The General peered at Cloud through his hair, his fingers hitting the sharp end of the jewel. His hands fell to his sides as he turned back to the thief, who was still grinning at him like a child given a big bag of candy. It was…cute? "'Got what you wanted'?" He questioned.

Thunderstorm nodded, "Yup!"

The silver haired man was perplexed with this. Thunderstorm was a bandit who only stole money and expensive things that he could sell. Taking a jewel that literally could go for as much as he wanted was…was irrational! It was totally unlike him.

The blond caught the expression the General had and giggled; "You don't get it?" He asked. When he received no answer, the thief took a few steps closer and bravely pointed in his face, "You! My target was you!"

One blink. Two blinks. Three blinks. Then Sephiroth opened his mouth wide, "What?" The mask slid from his fingers and out of his grasp. "I'm not a—What do you mean 'me'?"

Again, Thunderstorm laughed, "I told you I could steal something you wouldn't expect and I did. I stole a kiss from your lips!"

That's it. Sephiroth was at a loss of words. This kid had just knock down all rational thinking in his mind. He had ruined his office, made Shinra waste loads of time and money, and embarrassed all four of the commanding officers for a…kiss?

Well, nonetheless, Sephiroth couldn't help but say he was flattered.

Cloud reached down and picked up his mask. The blond hummed happily, rolling the black fabric around his hand. Then he cocked his head to the taller man and smiled, "You gonna arrest me?"

Sephiroth paused for a moment, his expression settled back into a stoic demeanor, "I pretty much have to, don't I?"

"Hmm…" The thief turned away, hands behind his back, "Seems like it wouldn't be as much fun though, would it?" Innocently, he looked at the General.

"You could try running."

"Would you chase me?"

"Don't ask stupid questions you obviously know the answers to, you little brat."

"Ha!" The boy laughed out; head pulled back, "I know you'd say that. Well, I guess there's only one thing we can do now."

"'We'?" asked Sephiroth.

The boy nodded and then ran forward. Sephiroth chased after him, grabbing his sword by the blade when Thunderstorm had picked it up and thrown it towards him. Thunderstorm jumped onto the edge, stopping to peered back. "I don't think I wanna stop right now, though." He called back, "I'd rather see you again without being separated by steel bars!"

The man stopped in his tracks, calling back, "I'm not your boyfriend!"

Thunderstorm laughed and Sephiroth swore he had heard a 'yet', "I'll be seeing you soon, okay? After all…" He inched towards the end of the building, "I have something of yours and you have something of mine."

"And what would that be?"

"Something you'd never expect." He grinned. Then he jumped, screaming out, "By the way, you can all me 'Chocobo' if ya like!" Growling, Sephiroth bolted forward to grab at the boy's shirt, but missed and watched the boy disappear within into the darkness of the alley, like a shadow. The General sighed, his hand fumbling around with the jewel in his pocket,

"'Chocobo', huh?"

**Mission 4: Sephiroth**

**Status: DEPENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT**

**:::**

Lazard was ecstatic. When he had been given 'Shiva's Clear Tear', he had actually attempted to hug the General. He, as expected, missed and hit the nearby wall instead. He was delighted either way; his paycheck was saved even if they didn't catch 'Thunderstorm' It proved it was possible!

Zack, on the other hand, had locked himself inside his room to mope. Gossip was that he was having a marathon of online video games, beating down every gamer he could come by to pick up his crumbled pride.

Unsurprisingly, Angeal had refused to talk about what had happened to get him chained up. He only admitted he had been 'tricked' and would get extremely pissy if Sephiroth pushed him farther. The General had found it funny.

And Genesis? Well…Genesis did what he always did after being rejected. Buried himself in vanilla treats, LOVELESS, and his tears.

As for Sephiroth, he couldn't say he was upset about the apparent 'failure' at all. Actually, people were scared; they hadn't seen him smile like that since his return from Wutai. The General had new excitement in his life.

He liked the idea of a little cat and mouse chase with 'Thunderstorm'. Something about this boy made his senses alive. It was feeling that he didn't know what to do with. Happy, nervous, and crazy. It was unnatural and yet…normal.

What Sephiroth couldn't understand was that Thunderstorm didn't just steal a kiss…he had stolen his heart too.

**:::**

Cloud grinned to himself as Tifa and Aerith chatted among themselves. No one was really upset with the loose of the jewel. It wasn't like they didn't have money as it were. Tifa said something about being more careful, but he didn't listen much. His mind was on better things.

"Hey, guys?" He spoke from his corner, "Don't you think it would be great if I went undercover as a SOLDIER?"

The girls looked at him like he had just grown eight heads.

Cloud didn't care; he was happy. After all, how many times does it happen that a General steals something from a thief?

* * *

**Oh…oh…Luna, what cheesy endings! XD and yet, you loved it anyway. Don't lie. I can seeeeeeee it in your eyes! **

**Hmm…I may or may not continue this. It really depends on the feedback and if I have the time between **_**Rocking to You**_** and school. I guess we'll just have to wait and see~**

**Oh! Almost forgot. Cloud being the man FTW! You kiss him, Spiky! You kiss him good!**

**(This ended being much longer then I intended it to be, too.)  
**


End file.
